CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Flint Hills Resources commissioned a new 27-megawatt solar installation at its Corpus Christi West refinery, marking the first project of its kind in Texas. The $53 million facility features 56,728 solar panels across 100 acres and will provide approximately 28% of the refinery's power needs.
The solar installation can generate enough electricity to power more than 5,100 homes annually under optimal conditions. The project aims to enhance power supply, lower production costs, improve operational efficiency, and reduce emissions from the utility grid at the refinery.
"This landmark solar installation is a major step forward in our efforts to continually improve the efficiency of our operations and competitiveness," said Rodney Dillon, Vice President and Manufacturing Manager for Flint Hills Resources Corpus Christi.
"We're thrilled to be the first refinery in Texas and among the first refineries in the nation to incorporate large-scale, on-site solar generation directly into our operations as a way to lower our energy costs and improve our performance," Dillon said.
This marks Flint Hills Resources' second refinery location to feature large-scale solar power. The company's Pine Bend refinery in Minnesota was the nation's first refinery to feature a solar installation, and the largest of its kind at 45 megawatts, when it went online in 2023.
Construction began in September 2024, with DEPCOM Power serving as the engineering, procurement, and construction contractor. The Scottsdale, Arizona-based company also built the Minnesota solar project.
"This solar installation at the Corpus Christi West Refinery represents a major milestone for DEPCOM Power, marking our largest project designed to power a single, critical industrial facility in Texas," said Bryon Lamon, DEPCOM Power's Senior Vice President of Project Delivery.
"As demand grows for cost-effective behind-the-meter energy solutions at an industrial scale, we're proud to help lead the way in proving solar and Battery Energy Storage Systems' viability as a dependable, reliable power source for the oil and gas industry," Lamon said.
The Corpus Christi refinery recently achieved the US Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry by reducing energy intensity by 10.3% within three years. The facility also operates a combined heat and power system that supplies about 30 megawatts of electricity to refinery operations.
At peak capacity, the combined heat and power system and solar installation together could satisfy up to 60% of the Corpus Christi West refinery's power needs.
Since 2000, Flint Hills Resources Corpus Christi refineries have reduced criteria air emissions by approximately 70% while increasing production. Per barrel produced, total criteria air emissions are down approximately 60% and Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emission intensity is down by approximately 30% since 2010.
Flint Hills Resources operates two refineries in Corpus Christi that run continuously and supply jet fuel, ultra-low sulfur diesel, and gasoline, as well as chemical building blocks used in everyday products to Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Mexico.
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